


Best Christmas Ever

by madbrigid



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Jealous Mike Wheeler, M/M, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Mike Wheeler Needs a Hug, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler in Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:28:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21852217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madbrigid/pseuds/madbrigid
Summary: Mike Wheeler has planned the perfect Christmas holidays for months; after all, he's having his girlfriend and his best friend for a whole week. However, when Will brings a new friend to the house, Mike realizes his holidays are gonna be way different than the original plan.
Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	1. New Friend

Mike Wheeler had pictured that day many times before. When Christmas holidays arrived, Eleven and Will would be coming to visit him. They would ring his doorbell with handbags, and Mike would run upstairs from his basement, as fast as his long legs could manage. He would have made a surprise for them.

His parents wouldn’t be at home. Mike would have dragged the sofas to the corners of his living room, and would have set up a tent in the bottom of the room, with a lot of Christmas lights on it, just the same way Will used to have in his secret hiding place. Inside that huge tent, they would have the best holidays ever, chatting all night long, playing their old board games, eating all the junk food of the world. Best Christmas ever.

Mike had been anxious for that day for months, and now it had finally arrived. When he heard the doorbell, he almost stumbled on himself, climbing the stairs as fast as a launching rocket, reaching the front door and breathing for a while, just to try to fix his messy hair. Finally, he opened the door, and there they were.

Eleven’s hair was longer than ever. When their eyes crossed, she opened a large smile and jumped into his arms. The smell coming from the curly hair was even better than Mike could have remembered, and as he felt his neck being pulled down by the tight hug, a laughter escaped his lips.

“I missed you so much” She whispered. Mike hugged her back as strong as he could, but didn’t close his eyes. It took only a while for them to cross Will’s. He was right behind her.

Will’s light brown hair reflected the snow surrounding the house. His big yellow eyes were wide open in Mike’s direction, as if he could barely believe his best friend was there. Right after realizing he was also being observed, Will opened such a true and pure smile, it made made Mike recall the cosy feeling Will had always brought to his chest. Will had colour on his cheeks for the cold weather, and his neck was hidden under a navy scarf.

“Hello, Mike” His smile suddenly turned shy, his hands now in the pockets.

Eleven broke off the hug to let the boys greet each other, but Mike could take no steps in Will’s direction, for he had finally realized there was another person in front of his house, right next to his best friend.

There was a third boy, as tall as Mike, hair and eyes as dark as Mike’s. His expression was of curiosity and suspicion as he looked his host over from top to bottom. He had a lightly-tanned skin and wore loose-fitting clothes; as soon as his eyes crossed Mike’s, he smirked.

“Mike, this is Charlie” Will said, looking pretty anxious about the meeting. He lowered his eyes. “He’s my... Friend. He’s staying for Christmas, okay?”

Charlie nodded his head in a nonverbal greeting, and for a while Mike felt like nodding back, but couldn’t. He was in shock. Will bringing a new friend to his house should feel absolutely normal; after all, they were like brothers, and adding up in the ground was always a good thing, right? Except it wasn’t. Will’s new friend looked so much like him, and a twinge in his chest made Mike feel insecure. It almost like he had been... Replaced.

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned tense. Will nudged Charlie, who stifled a moan and then said, raising a hand in a new attempt of greeting him:

“It’s nice to meet you, Mike. Will always speaks of you.”

Clearly nervous, Mike nodded and lowered his eyes to the hand, which he shook. “It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.”  
The tension prevailed for a few seconds, but Eleven didn’t seem to notice. For her, it was all about a few boys who had spent to much time apart, and now didn’t know exactly what to expect from each other.

“Come on, let’s go!” She laughed and threw her handbag on Mike’s chest, just to tease him. “We have much to do here!”

Will laughed at her reaction, and even Charlie opened a casual smile, but Mike didn’t seem to process all the information. Still holding Eleven’s handbag, he cleared up the way for his friends to enter the house, but couldn’t take his eyes off Will, not even for a while. Mixed feelings made him realize his Christmas holidays were going to be way different from what he had planned.


	2. Private talk

“I can’t believe it...!”

Will couldn’t believe his eyes; Mike had put up a tent in the bottom of his living room and fulfilled it with Christmas lights, making the perfect hiding place for the three of them. It was so perfect, Will almost felt like it had been done for him only.

“Mike, it’s just... Perfect” He murmured, causing Mike to open a broad smile behind his back.

As his wide yellow eyes scanned the tent and his tiny hands touched it, Charlie’s voice reached his ears, and what he said was:

“It’s perfect, but the four of us won’t fit there, not even if we cuddle” He added up, a sarcastic laughter escaping his lips.

Will felt his face heating up in embarrassment and lowered his eyes, trying to deal with the facts: Mike and Eleven were going to sleep in the tent, but Charlie and himself would have to find somewhere else.

“Yeah... You’re right. We won’t fit.”

“What?” Mike said, suddenly surprised. He touched Will’s arm as if trying to get his attention and maybe some explanation.

“We just... Won’t fit, Mike”.

“Of course we will!” Mike insisted, pointing to the tent, just as if his best friend could think twice if he saw it from Mike’s point of view. Although he now realized it was just a fantasy he’d made up, he couldn’t believe Will wasn’t going to sleep there inside with him. The idea caused such a discomfort in his chest.

“No, Mike, we won’t” Will said once more, in a very serious tone, glancing at him.

There were four people in the living room, but the problem seemed to reach only two of them. That’s why Mike scratched his head in anxiety; he knew what he had to say, and still it would sound so weird if spoken out loud.

“Look... Can I talk to you for a while?”  
Eleven frowned and Charlie crossed his arms, both of them bothered by the situation. Will glanced at his new friend and gulped, nodding to Mike.

“Yeah... Alright.”

They went to the kitchen. Will leaned on the kitchen bench and held his arm in embarrassment. How long hadn’t he planned to stay alone with Mike, and yet, now he finally had it, it all felt so... Confusing. He didn’t want to disappoint Charlie, and was pretty sure there was nothing wrong in talking to his best friend in privacy, but still... Still...

“Listen, Will, you have to sleep in the tent with us, alright?” Mike tried once more, touching both of his best friend’s shoulders.

“Why?” Will glanced at his hands, feeling his face heating up once more. The last time he had Mike touching him like that was when...

“‘Cause I’ve done it for you! Alright?”

Will widened his big yellow eyes and then lowered them, trying to process all that stuff. Mike had put up the tent for him indeed, and not for his girlfriend? Despite his face expression was of shock, a tiny smile showed up on Will’s lips, but didn’t last.

“You’ve done it... For me?” He murmured, in fear that maybe Mike could hear his heart beating so fast right now.

“Yeah, Will, I did. And I don’t get why your friend can’t just sleep in bedroom as we go for the tent. I mean, what’s wrong with it?”

Will nodded and bit his lip. Slowly, he took Mike’s hands off his shoulders, trembling in anxiety. He had to say it. He had to face it, and that’s what he did.

“You don’t get, do you?”

“Don’t get what?”

“I can’t let Charlie by himself in the bedroom, Mike, ‘cause he’s not just my friend” He closed his eyes, getting some more courage. “He’s... My boyfriend.”

Mike’s brain seemed to shut down. He just continued staring at his best friend, scanning his face as if there was any other possible answer in there, something he might be missing... But there wasn’t. His face expression then wilted, just like an empty balloon. The answer had been just in front of his nose all the time, how couldn’t he have noticed?

“He’s your...” He repeated, as if trying to process, and then frowned, lost in his thoughts.

Will trembled. He’s being trying to tell someone he loved for years that now he was in love with someone else. But although he trembled while watching Mike’s reaction, it was also like taking a burden off his chest; after all, sooner or later, Mike had to know, right? Will was gay. He had a boyfriend. Simple as that. Also, he’d been in love with his best friend for many years, long before he met Charlie, and it took a lot of effort to overcome that, to raise again from his own bloody ashes. But why couldn’t he feel easy if he had finally taken that off his chest? Will still felt like running away, maybe praising to God to be swallowed by the earth or something.  
That’s why he lowered his head once more and said:

“I’m sorry, Mike. You and Eleven stay in the tent, Charlie and I can stay in the basement or anywhere else, okay? Thank you for the present... I’m sorry again.”

And after saying that, Will just went out of the kitchen, not looking back and leaving behind a speechless Mike, still frowning at the floor. Escaping the kitchen seemed the only way out of the feelings that were raising once more in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think?  
> Also, please let me know of any grammar mistakes, as I’m not a native English speaker


End file.
